this post was submitted on 14 Jan 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I don't know too much about HV, but I thought that even the crazy path shown in the picture was still the path of least resistance. Is that wrong?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It is still the path of least resistance but it created it itself. It ionizes the air creating a channel for it and then makes the leap, creating a conductive conduit of plasma/ions, as air currents move that around the path of least resistance can get progressively more nuts because there's still a path through the ionized air.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

It's a big example of a Jacob's Ladder (the climbing arc of electricity seen in science labs in movies).

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

You might not like it, but this is what peak conductivity looks like

[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 day ago

Dielectric breakdown, literally carving its own path of least resistance through the air.